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Wrestling MSU Athletics Communications

Morgan State Wrestling Preps for Sunday Night Battle in the Tar Heel State

BALTIMORE, Md. (Dec. 5, 2025) -- As the holiday season approaches, the Morgan State Bears are gearing up for a challenging trip to the Tar Heel State, where they'll take on a pair of tough opponents.

Morgan State (0-4) will head to Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, on Sunday, Dec. 7, for a tri-meet at Willow Springs High School—an event expected to showcase high-level competition.

The Bears open the day against the host and 10th-ranked North Carolina State at 1 p.m., before closing out the afternoon with a 3 p.m. matchup against Davidson.

Fans can follow all the action live on FloWrestling.

SCOUTING No. 10 NC STATE
• North Carolina State (3-2) 
  Morgan State    Weight    NC State
  Jimmie Jones / Julian Dawson.   125   No. 1 Vincent Robinson / Brad Yokum 
  Javaan Yarbrough  133   No. 32 Zach Redding / Troy Hohman
  Marwan Nazeer  141   No. 7 Ryan Jack
  Eugene Harvey   149   No. 8 Koy Buesgens / Luca Felix
  Yannis Charles / Eric Tecson  157   No. 11 Jackson Arrington / Latrell Schafer 
  Antoine Glasgow   165   No. 21 Will Denny / Jason Kwaak
  Cortilius Vann  174   No. 3 Matty Singleton
  Bryce Phillips  184   Don Cates / Jesse Mullis
  Eric Washington   197   Cason Howie
  Rasheen Duncan   HWT   No. 2 Isaac Trumble / Everest Ouellette
*Intermat Rankings (12/2/25)
 
• 10th-ranked NC State (3-2) handled business on the road Sunday, earning a 21–14 win over Appalachian State to bounce back into the win column. The Wolfpack made the return trip to Boone as part of the program's home-and-home series and came away with victories in six of the 10 bouts. Three of those wins came by major decision, delivering key bonus points that helped secure the 21–14 final score.

• Leading the group of returning ACC standouts is NC State's Vince Robinson, the reigning 2025 NCAA Champion at 125 pounds and the conference's No. 1–ranked wrestler. He's joined by two more Wolfpack powerhouses: No. 2 Isaac Trumble at 285 pounds and No. 3 Matthew Singleton at 174, giving NC State three of the ACC's top returning talents.

•  The 2025-26 wrestling season marks Pat Popolizio's 14th year at the helm of the NC State wrestling program, as he was named head wrestling coach of the Wolfpack on April 10, 2012. Popolizio was named the 2018 Dan Gable co-NCAA Coach of the Year and the 2016 National Coach of the Year by FloWrestling. He has also been a finalist for the NWCA Division I National Coach of the Year each of the last five years in 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2022. He has been named ACC Coach of the Year three times, in 2018, 2020, and 2021.
•  Popolizio has won seven ACC Championships (2016, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024) and five ACC Regular season titles (2018, 2019, 2020, 2022, and 2024), as well as tying with two other teams for the regular season title in 2025.

•  The ACC again had five teams ranked in the top 25 of the NWCA Division I Men's Wrestling Coaches Poll (Dec. 2): Virginia Tech (No. 7), NC State (No. 10), Pitt (No. 20), North Carolina (No. 21), and Stanford (No. 24).
 
SCOUTING DAVIDSON
• Davidson (1-4) 
  Morgan State    Weight    Davidson
  Jimmie Jones / Julian Dawson  125   Brady Joling
  Javaan Yarbrough  133   Luke Passarelli / Kiyan Simon
  Marwan Nazeer  141   Marley Washington 
  Eugene Harvey   149   Anderson Heap
  Yannis Charles / Eric Tecson  157   Anwar Alli
  Antoine Glasgow   165   Tanner Peake / Bryce Griffin
  Cortilius Vann  174   Marc Koch
  Bryce Phillips  184   Josh Lange
  Eric Washington   197   Daniel Elyash
  Rasheen Duncan   HWT   DJ Springs
*Intermat Rankings

• Despite No. 32 Tanner Peake closing the dual with a major decision at 165 pounds, Davidson (1-4) dropped its home opener to nationally-ranked Purdue, 38-4, last Sunday afternoon inside John M. Belk Arena. Before the match, Head Coach Nate Carr Jr's younger brother, David, a two-time National Champion at Iowa State, along with the Wildcats' coaching staff, hosted a FREE clinic for close to 150 local wrestlers.

• Davidson's Cody Kirk (184 pounds) is off to an impressive start to his collegiate career. The freshman opened the season by winning the freshman/sophomore division at the Southeast Open, then followed it up with a runner-up finish at the Michigan State Open.
Senior captain Tanner Peake has also garnered national attention, appearing as high as No. 30 in the FloWrestling rankings (Nov. 11) and checking in at No. 32 in the Nov. 17 poll.

•  Nate Carr, Jr. is in his fourth season as the head coach of the Davidson wrestling program. The 2024-25 campaign was another year of growth for the Wildcats, including Tanner Peake as a mainstay in the National Rankings. In addition to a pair of league wins for the second straight season, Davidson had eight placers, highlighted by four runner-ups at the Southeast Open, both program bests. During Carr's career, he has coached 48 NCAA qualifiers, 11 All Americans, 2 NCAA Finalists, 1 NCAA Champion, and 1 Junior World Champion.
•  Carr's family has had eight All-American honors, including his father, Nate Carr, Sr., a three-time NCAA Champion and Olympic Bronze Medalist.
 
His younger brother, David was a four-time All-American and two-time National Champion at Iowa State.

NOTABLES
• Morgan State wrestling battled throughout the lineup on Nov. 21 inside historic Hurt Gymnasium, but the Bears ultimately dropped a 39–7 decision to the visiting Maryland Terrapins. Maryland improved to 4–0 on the season and extended their series lead over the Bears to 3–0 since 2023. The loss drops Morgan State to 0–4 overall. The Bears broke through at 149 pounds behind a standout performance from Eugene Harvey, who struck early with a first-period takedown. He added an escape in the second period and controlled the pace the rest of the way for a 4–0 decision, cutting the deficit to 15–3. Morgan's second victory of the evening came at 184 pounds, where Bryce Phillips controlled the action from start to finish, defeating Seth Digby, 11–3, to make it 28–7.
 

• Newcomers Eugene Harney, a Cincinnati, Ohio native, and Javaan Yarbrough, who hails from Akron, Ohio. Both have earned national recognition in their respective weight classes during their debut season with the Bears. Harney enters the rankings at No. 33 at 149 lbs, boosted by his recent victory over No. 27–ranked Wynton Denkins. Although he suffered a setback against Kaden Cassidy last week and has previously lost to unranked opponents Layton Schneider and Kyle Schickel, Harney's strong 10-1 overall record keeps him firmly in the national conversation. Yarbrough debuts at No. 31 at 133 lbs, holding a 4-2 record through the early stages of the season. The duo joins senior standout Xavier Doolin, who remains ranked at No. 28 even though he has yet to compete this season.

• Leading the return of NCAA Division I, Varsity-level men's wrestling to Maryland's largest Historically Black College or University (HBCU), Morgan State University announced the hiring of Kenny Monday as the Athletics Department's new men's wrestling coach, effective Aug. 24, 2022. Monday, the first Black wrestler in history to win an Olympic gold medal, is a National Wrestling Hall of Fame inductee, three-time Olympian, and former NCAA All-American standout, who brings a championship-level coaching pedigree and an expansive yet impressive resume to a Bears' wrestling program looking to restart after a 25-year hiatus. Monday joined Morgan after serving as the director of wrestling and head wrestling coach at Spire Academy since 2021.

• Morgan State was wrestling in its first competition in 25 years after the program was reinstated, making it the only HBCU with a Division I wrestling program.
 
• In October 2021, the University announced its plans to revive the men's wrestling program at Morgan State with the support of a $2.7-million gift from HBCU Wrestling (HBCUW), a new initiative reestablishing wrestling programs on HBCU campuses. The gift, which is among the largest received from a private donor to the University, provides funding for the program and supports up to nine full scholarships annually.
 
• The Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association (EIWA) announced a realignment of its dual meet divisions to create balance across the conference. As part of the update, Morgan State will now compete in the newly formed Liberty Division, alongside American, Army, Bucknell, Lehigh, and Navy. The conference will now recognize EIWA Dual Meet Champions in both the Liberty Division and the Independence Division, which includes Binghamton, Drexel, F&M, Hofstra, LIU, and Sacred Heart.
 
• Sophomore newcomer Eugene Harney, who claimed 2nd place at the Navy Classic, emerged as the standout performer for the Bears, clinching the team's sole victory of the night against Ohio's Carson Weber in a nail-biting 1-0 contest during the 149-pound bout at the Ohio Showcase. Fellow sophomore Javaan Yarbrough finished sixth at 133 pounds. Both made their first appearances at the Navy Classic, highlighting the Bears' promising start to the season.

• Morgan State head coach Kenny Monday has added five new student-athletes to the Bears' 2025-26 roster, bolstering the program's depth and competitiveness. The incoming class features four freshmen and one transfer, highlighted by Campbell transfer Eugene Harney. The freshman additions include Antoine Glasgow (Lilburn, Ga.), Marwan Mohammed Nazeer (Spånga, Stockholm), Rohan Bucknor (White Plains, Md.), and Bence Veress (Budapest, Hungary). "We are fired up about the new young men we added to our roster," said Monday. "Each one brings a unique skill set that adds depth and excitement to our team," signaling a promising outlook for the reinforced squad.


FOLLOW MORGAN STATE ATHLETICS IN CYBERSPACE 
There are many ways to keep up with MSU athletics online and on the go:
• Visit www.morganstatebears.com, the official website of Bears athletics, for news, schedules, stats, bios, and more. 
• Follow us on social media:
 Facebook: /MorganStateBears
 Twitter: @MorganStBears
 Instagram: /MorganStateBears

ABOUT MORGAN
Morgan State University, founded in 1867, is a Carnegie-classified high research (R2) institution offering nearly 140 academic programs leading to degrees from the baccalaureate to the doctorate. As Maryland's Preeminent Public Urban Research University, and the only university to have its entire campus designated as a National Treasure by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, Morgan serves a multiethnic and multiracial student body and seeks to ensure that the doors
 
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Players Mentioned

Eric Tecson

Eric Tecson

157 lbs
5' 9"
Freshman
Yannis Charles

Yannis Charles

149 lbs
5' 9"
Freshman
Julian Dawson

Julian Dawson

125 lbs
5' 7"
Freshman
Rasheen Duncan

Rasheen Duncan

HWT
6' 2"
Freshman
Xavier Doolin

Xavier Doolin

HWT
6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
Jimmie Jones

Jimmie Jones

125 lbs
5' 3"
Junior
Bryce Phillips

Bryce Phillips

184 lbs
6' 2"
Sophomore
Javaan Yarbrough

Javaan Yarbrough

125/133 lbs
5' 8"
Sophomore
Rohan Bucknor

Rohan Bucknor

141 lbs
5' 6"
Freshman
Antoine Glasgow

Antoine Glasgow

165 lbs
5' 11"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Eric Tecson

Eric Tecson

5' 9"
Freshman
157 lbs
Yannis Charles

Yannis Charles

5' 9"
Freshman
149 lbs
Julian Dawson

Julian Dawson

5' 7"
Freshman
125 lbs
Rasheen Duncan

Rasheen Duncan

6' 2"
Freshman
HWT
Xavier Doolin

Xavier Doolin

6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
HWT
Jimmie Jones

Jimmie Jones

5' 3"
Junior
125 lbs
Bryce Phillips

Bryce Phillips

6' 2"
Sophomore
184 lbs
Javaan Yarbrough

Javaan Yarbrough

5' 8"
Sophomore
125/133 lbs
Rohan Bucknor

Rohan Bucknor

5' 6"
Freshman
141 lbs
Antoine Glasgow

Antoine Glasgow

5' 11"
Freshman
165 lbs